Etymology

History

The early history of Christianity in Kurdistan closely parallels that of the rest of Anatolia and Mesopotamia. According to a legend, Mar Saba succeeded in converting some "sun-worshipping" (probably referring to various sect and religions of early Yazdânism) Kurds to Christianity in the fifth century.

By the early 5th century the royal house of Adiabene had converted from Judaism to Christianity. The extensive ecclesiastical archives kept at their capital of Arbela (modern Arbil), are valuable primary sources for the history of central Kurdistan, from the middle of the Parthian era (ca. 1st century AD). Kurdish Christians used Aramaic for their records and archives and as the ecclesiastical language. The persecution of the Christians in the Persian Sasanian Empire extended to Kurdistan as well.